Despite Pandemic Struggles, Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular Lives On

CRANSTON, RI — October is here in Rhode Island, which means the return of a very special nighttime tradition every night. When the sun goes down, the night is once again illuminated by the glow of thousands of jack-o-lanterns at Roger Williams Park Zoo.

This year's Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular, like so much else during the coronavirus pandemic, looks a lot different from years past. Instead of a stroll along the zoo's wetlands trail, the event has been shifted to a socially distant, drive-through experience, rerouted through the zoo itself and parts of the parking lot. While it looks to visitors like a seamless, perfectly planned event like every other year, organizers were working up until the first guests arrived to get everything into place in time.

Jeremy Goodman, the zoo's executive director, said that there were serious doubts about whether the event could be held at all amid the coronavirus pandemic. The zoo itself had closed for months under the governor's statewide restrictions, and it wasn't clear until early summer if socially distanced events would be possible in the fall.

"We were very nervous," Goodman told Patch. "But we knew we had to do something."

The Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular has become and annual pre-Halloween tradition for thousands of Rhode Islanders, while also serving as the zoo's largest annual fundraiser. With statewide morale generally low and the zoo struggling financially during the pandemic, the organizers knew they had to find a way to make it happen, while keeping volunteers and visitors safe.

In June, the drive-through model was approved, and organizers set to work completely redesigning the trail to make that possible. As well as redesigning the layout, organizers had to contend with countless unexpected obstacles, from headlight covers for vehicles that couldn't be sufficiently dimmed to an on-site tow truck in case someone breaks down on the trail.

Mike Finizza, the co-owner of Passion For Pumpkins, the company that brings the annual event to life, said he was "extremely proud" of all the people who pulled together to make this year's Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular a reality.

Unlike most years, organizers had to start from scratch when designing where the pumpkins would go and how to mount them. The Wetlands Trail, which usually hosts the walk-through attraction, has permanent, unseen infrastructure such as mounting structures, wires and more that make it easy to set up the jack-o-lanterns year after year. The new layout meant that everything would need to be built from the ground up, creating a whole new set of challenges: building the new infrastructure, working on a shorter timeline, respecting the nearby animal habitats and not obstructing or endangering guests while the zoo was open during the day. Miles of wiring, new speakers, armatures and more were all put together with limited time and even more limited staff.

The solution was to work a lot of long nights after the zoo was closed, Finnizza said, with crews working as late as 1 a.m. or 2 a.m. to get everything done in time. The perishable nature of the pumpkins also means that there's a tight timeline to get them from the carving studio to the zoo.

"Once you make the cut, the clock starts ticking," he said of the pumpkins, meaning they can only be put in place a few days before the exhibit opens, and must last the entire month.

Ernie D'Elia, a nine-year veteran pumpkin carver, said the carving process is a lot more intricate than most at-home jack-o-lanterns. Carvers draw their design in permanent marker, then take off the outermost layer of skin with sandpaper to allow the pumpkins their signature glow. They then carefully carve out the flesh from the inside through a hole in the back, making it thicker or thinner depending on how bright of a glow is desired. Depending on the intricacy of the design and the size of the pumpkins, carving can take anywhere from three to five hours each.

The event runs nightly from Oct. 1 through Nov. 1, with timed tickets sold each half hour. Goodman said the zoo is strongly encouraging guests to buy their tickets early, since the new format only allows for one-quarter to one-third of the usual capacity.

Opening night saw some issues still being ironed out, particularly delays in getting vehicles onto the trail.

"We calculated how many cars could be cycled through per half hour, but the line only goes as fast as the slowest car," Goodman said, adding that adjustments were being made in real time to keep things moving smoothly.

The event has seen strong presales so far, and Goodman asked the community to help support the zoo during this difficult time.

"We're here for the community, we've been here for 141 years ... now we need the community to be there for us," he said. "Every ticket they buy, whether it's to the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular or the zoo itself, every item purchased from the gift shop, all of that helps us."

Community members can also donate to the zoo's emergency fund.

The Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular runs Oct. 1 to Nov. 1. Tickets cost $50 per carload and can be purchased online. Find more information about the event, rules and more here.